Beginnings of Modern Music — How Modern Differs from Medieval Music — Two Musical Channels — Church Music and Folk-songs — Representative Composers — Secularization of Music — Origin and Development of Opera — First Oratorio — Tendencies of Modern Opera

Birth and Early Career — First Volume — Marriage — Pontifical Singer — Preferments — Great Work for Musical Art — Penury and Affliction — Continued Labors — Impressive Death-scenePalestrina's Place among Composers

The Bach Family — Birth and Boyhood of J. S. Bach — Experience at Arnstadt — Weimar Period — Years at Köthen — Long Residence and Important Work at Leipzig — Home Life and Character — Bach's Religious Views — His Great Compositions Analyzed — The Famous Passion Music

A Musician in Spite of his Father's Opposition — His First Patron — A Prodigy — Handel's Duel — Hamburg and Italy — First Operas — Kapellmeister to the Elector of Hanover — Career in London — Great Works Produced — Successes and Failures — "The Messiah" and Culmination of Handel's Fame — Personal Appearance and Character — Critical Review

Hardships of Childhood — First Musical Studies — Homeless and Poor — Friends and Good Fortune — Unhappy Marriage — With Prince Esterhazy — Happy and Productive Years — With Mozart in Vienna — Haydn in London — Teaches Beethoven in Vienna — London Again — "The Creation" and "The Seasons" — Last Years and Death — Characteristics — What Haydn Did for Music

The Boy who Came to Mozart — Father and Son — Successive Instructors — Teacher, Organist, Conductor — Death of Beethoven's Mother — Supports Brothers and Sisters — Studies with Haydn — Happy Days with the Lichnowskis — Growing Fame — Beethoven's Deafness — His Colossal Works — Troubles with his Nephew — Death and Imposing Funeral — Survey of Beethoven's Compositions — Personality and Characteristics

Son of a Shiftless Musician — Early Acquaintance with the Stage — Court Secretary—Practical Joke on Royalty — Vicarious Punishment — Filial Devotion — Years of Wandering — Many Works Produced — "Der Freischütz" and "Euryanthe" — Harasssed by Enemies — "Oberon" in London — Detailed Estimate of Weber

An Extraordinary Popularity — Début at Seven — A Composer in his Teens — Successive Productions — "The Barber of Seville": Unfortunate First Hearing — "Otello" and Later Operas — English and French Career — "Guillaume Tell" Rossini's Masterpiece — "Stabat Mater" — Strange Ending of his Activities — Results of his Work

Real and Adopted Name — Public Playing at Seven — Composing — Experience with the Abbé Vogler — Career Fairly Begun — Many Works Produced — Great Success of "Robert le Diable" — Later Productions — Dealings with Wagner — Special Features of Meyerbeer's Music